Televisions (TVs) and set-top boxes (STBs) may include video capture functionality that allows a user to capture frames of video from source video. The functionality may have several uses. For example, for an Internet-connected device, the functionality may be used in a video fingerprinting technology to detect the video content being viewed, so that the device can automatically provide access to applications and features related to the video content. The functionality may also be used on a TV or STB to show frozen frames when the user changes from one channel to another. Numerous other uses for video capture functionality exist (e.g., allowing users to capture frames as image files and share them on a social network, allowing captured frames from multiple source videos to be combined in a video mosaic, etc.).
In providing this functionality, hardware and software is often used to capture the video frames and export them out of a video pipeline. In certain systems, the possibility exists for the functionality to be misused or used for illegitimate purposes (e.g., unauthorized copying of copyrighted video content). For example, an untrusted application may repeatedly capture frames of video, thus circumventing security measures of a secure video pipeline.